India A to tour Australia in July

India A will play two four-day games against Australia A and a limited-overs quadrangular series on its tour to Australia which begins on July 6, the BCCI has said. The quadrangular series will also feature South Africa A and Cricket Australia's National Performance Squad.

The India A side will begin their tour with the four-day games in Queensland, scheduled to start on July 6 and July 13 respectively. The team will then play two round-robin stages in the quadrangular, scheduled to start on July 20, before the final on August 2.

"This tour is a part of the exchange programme that has been initiated by BCCI along with Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa to provide increased exposure to our upcoming players and an opportunity to familiarise and compete in overseas conditions," Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary said.

The tour will be the first major series for India A in 2014. In 2013, the team had toured South Africa in August and, apart from the four-day games, also participated in a tri-series between South Africa A and Australia A. The side that participated in the A tour, which took place soon after India's tour to Zimbabwe, included Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, among others. India A then hosted New Zealand A and West Indies A for first-class and limited-overs matches in September.

Yadav, Aaron, Rishi Dhawan a must to test their mettle against best! In batting would like to see Kedar Jadhav in action, have been reading his recent exploits and looks promising. Also, likes of Zol, Aparajith, Lokesh Rahul along with Sanju and Sandeep Sharma will be exciting. Please no Dindas or Vinays, they are good and we know that they can deliver, but we need to put some of these young exciting talent to harsh reality.

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | April 13, 2014, 23:47 GMT

@Quichang: In short format, S/R means more than the batting average. Uthappa's average of 40 in ODI or First class Cricket @ S/R of 100, as an opening batsman over his career, is better than most in the short format. At 28 he also has most experience. India is converting middle order batsmen into openers & as a result the opening partnerships after Sehwag & Gambhir's absence are things of the past! The selection should be based on the demands of the format Not on Averages alone, as you are suggesting. Your list of Names for OZ team India A & their averages is impressive but None of them may appear on the Selectors Radar! Of course the Fan opinions do not count because of factors considered by the Team selectors are more complex. Typically Current Form, Fitness & Record of the player at any specific position is considered as a package. Averages are good indicator of the player's potential but not necessarily his ability to succeed. India A will have mostly known names + 3 New guys!

POSTED BY
on | April 13, 2014, 10:00 GMT

The tour is a waste.Allan Border Field is the most docile flat pitch in Australia and Darwin is total subcontinental pitch.Barring Gabba all pitches in QLD especially in northern parts are flat and slow. Wouldn't be surprised if the tour gets washed off too due to el Nino effect bringing some serious rains to Australia

POSTED BY
Quichang
on | April 13, 2014, 9:44 GMT

People there talk a lot about Robin Uthappa...for cricket sake just look at his First-Class and list A batting average(List A:39.15,First-Class:40.48)...doing good in just one season,don't make a best cricketer..Analyse them well than recommend them for selection..otherwise..you too are involve in bad selection. For Test,ODI and Twenty Team selection..the selectors should look at the First-Class,List-A and Domestic Twenty prospect of every players based on their better averages...and for bowlers,it should be based on Averages(low is better) and Economy. As an Indian BCCI should really implement the rules for selection based on Average...Cricketers having high average and having had played at-least 20 matches should be recommended automatically..so that nobody make a question mark on their selection...i'll sorry if my way selection is bad/wrong..if you have any better ways than please kindly share it.

Its all right that likes of rayudu,tiwary etc. deserves place in national team but under testing conditions like England and Australia especially we need someone like pujara and Rahane's inclusion in the team to provide stability in tough conditions.
All likes of umesh yadav,aaron,mohit sharma should be given more and regular chances to enhance India's fast bowling attack.

POSTED BY
kohli_is_future
on | April 12, 2014, 17:54 GMT

India should try sehwag and gambhir for last time.if they fail then it will be curtains fort both these Delhi guyz.

POSTED BY
JRP100
on | April 12, 2014, 17:36 GMT

uthappa should be selected in this and should then be on the plane for the england ODI's if he performs well, he should open with dhawan in ODI's with rohit coming in at 4 because india dont seem to have anyone else to fill the number 4 slot (unless pujara plays which probably wont end well with rohit and pujara in the same ODI 11 as they both bat at too low a strike rate). WC 11 should be
dhawan, uthappa, kohli, rohit, rayudu, dhoni, jadeja, ashwin, bhuvi, shami, and any 3rd seamer who impresses in IPL and england most likely.
This tour should be useful for the likes of rahul, bawne, jadhav and tiwary, everyone else realistically needs more ranji seasons before this tour will be of much use.

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | April 12, 2014, 15:00 GMT

@Johnny_129: You are right in your assessment of the Indian batsmen. I always felt that in Kohli, Pujara, Tiwary, Rohit & Rahane India has very good middle order, However reliable opening batsmen need to be established. Both Dhawan & Rohit were inconsistent in the recent matches as the openers. There is a dominant ODI opener, Uttappa, who has been knocking at the door but being an "Outsider" never gets into Dhoni's Team- just like Pujara. So if the politics are discarded & the team chosen on ability, India has Uttappa & Pujara as guys needed at #1 & #4 spots. If India has any plans to win the ODI WC 2015, these 2 must be IN! Secondly BCCI must run 3 month coaching camp for the Bowlers ASAP & train them on consistent Line, Length & direction. Aaron , Yadev, Ishant , Shami & Kumar can be world class Pace bowlers with coaching as will the spinners, Ashwin, Jadeja & Mishra. Add the Finishers Raina & Dhoni. It is a complete package but the selection basis should be Form, Ability & Fitness!

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | April 12, 2014, 13:28 GMT

India should take this opportunity to test some borderline players + give much needed experience to younger batsmen & Bowlers under the Aussie playing conditions. India needs to develop opening batsmen + pace Bowlers to capitalize on this "A Team" tour. Guys like Aaron, Yadev & Pandey who adorn the Bench need to play regularly & get some experience. For opening batsmen, it will be good to have Uttappa, Mukund, Dhawan. If India wishes to try out the forgotten older guys, Sehwag should get a stint. From the rest, the middle order batsmen like Pujara, Tiwary, Rahane & Raina should be included to gain experience of the pitches. It will also be good to see how spinners like Rasool, Nadeem, Rahul Sharma or Chawla fare. Younger players like Samson, Rahul, Bawne & Vijay Zol also need a shot. It will not be easy to have a proper mix because some deserving players will be left out. The important thing is to give deserving players a chance to show case their talent = get some experience..

POSTED BY
CricketMaan
on | April 14, 2014, 10:05 GMT

Yadav, Aaron, Rishi Dhawan a must to test their mettle against best! In batting would like to see Kedar Jadhav in action, have been reading his recent exploits and looks promising. Also, likes of Zol, Aparajith, Lokesh Rahul along with Sanju and Sandeep Sharma will be exciting. Please no Dindas or Vinays, they are good and we know that they can deliver, but we need to put some of these young exciting talent to harsh reality.

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | April 13, 2014, 23:47 GMT

@Quichang: In short format, S/R means more than the batting average. Uthappa's average of 40 in ODI or First class Cricket @ S/R of 100, as an opening batsman over his career, is better than most in the short format. At 28 he also has most experience. India is converting middle order batsmen into openers & as a result the opening partnerships after Sehwag & Gambhir's absence are things of the past! The selection should be based on the demands of the format Not on Averages alone, as you are suggesting. Your list of Names for OZ team India A & their averages is impressive but None of them may appear on the Selectors Radar! Of course the Fan opinions do not count because of factors considered by the Team selectors are more complex. Typically Current Form, Fitness & Record of the player at any specific position is considered as a package. Averages are good indicator of the player's potential but not necessarily his ability to succeed. India A will have mostly known names + 3 New guys!

POSTED BY
on | April 13, 2014, 10:00 GMT

The tour is a waste.Allan Border Field is the most docile flat pitch in Australia and Darwin is total subcontinental pitch.Barring Gabba all pitches in QLD especially in northern parts are flat and slow. Wouldn't be surprised if the tour gets washed off too due to el Nino effect bringing some serious rains to Australia

POSTED BY
Quichang
on | April 13, 2014, 9:44 GMT

People there talk a lot about Robin Uthappa...for cricket sake just look at his First-Class and list A batting average(List A:39.15,First-Class:40.48)...doing good in just one season,don't make a best cricketer..Analyse them well than recommend them for selection..otherwise..you too are involve in bad selection. For Test,ODI and Twenty Team selection..the selectors should look at the First-Class,List-A and Domestic Twenty prospect of every players based on their better averages...and for bowlers,it should be based on Averages(low is better) and Economy. As an Indian BCCI should really implement the rules for selection based on Average...Cricketers having high average and having had played at-least 20 matches should be recommended automatically..so that nobody make a question mark on their selection...i'll sorry if my way selection is bad/wrong..if you have any better ways than please kindly share it.

Its all right that likes of rayudu,tiwary etc. deserves place in national team but under testing conditions like England and Australia especially we need someone like pujara and Rahane's inclusion in the team to provide stability in tough conditions.
All likes of umesh yadav,aaron,mohit sharma should be given more and regular chances to enhance India's fast bowling attack.

POSTED BY
kohli_is_future
on | April 12, 2014, 17:54 GMT

India should try sehwag and gambhir for last time.if they fail then it will be curtains fort both these Delhi guyz.

POSTED BY
JRP100
on | April 12, 2014, 17:36 GMT

uthappa should be selected in this and should then be on the plane for the england ODI's if he performs well, he should open with dhawan in ODI's with rohit coming in at 4 because india dont seem to have anyone else to fill the number 4 slot (unless pujara plays which probably wont end well with rohit and pujara in the same ODI 11 as they both bat at too low a strike rate). WC 11 should be
dhawan, uthappa, kohli, rohit, rayudu, dhoni, jadeja, ashwin, bhuvi, shami, and any 3rd seamer who impresses in IPL and england most likely.
This tour should be useful for the likes of rahul, bawne, jadhav and tiwary, everyone else realistically needs more ranji seasons before this tour will be of much use.

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | April 12, 2014, 15:00 GMT

@Johnny_129: You are right in your assessment of the Indian batsmen. I always felt that in Kohli, Pujara, Tiwary, Rohit & Rahane India has very good middle order, However reliable opening batsmen need to be established. Both Dhawan & Rohit were inconsistent in the recent matches as the openers. There is a dominant ODI opener, Uttappa, who has been knocking at the door but being an "Outsider" never gets into Dhoni's Team- just like Pujara. So if the politics are discarded & the team chosen on ability, India has Uttappa & Pujara as guys needed at #1 & #4 spots. If India has any plans to win the ODI WC 2015, these 2 must be IN! Secondly BCCI must run 3 month coaching camp for the Bowlers ASAP & train them on consistent Line, Length & direction. Aaron , Yadev, Ishant , Shami & Kumar can be world class Pace bowlers with coaching as will the spinners, Ashwin, Jadeja & Mishra. Add the Finishers Raina & Dhoni. It is a complete package but the selection basis should be Form, Ability & Fitness!

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | April 12, 2014, 13:28 GMT

India should take this opportunity to test some borderline players + give much needed experience to younger batsmen & Bowlers under the Aussie playing conditions. India needs to develop opening batsmen + pace Bowlers to capitalize on this "A Team" tour. Guys like Aaron, Yadev & Pandey who adorn the Bench need to play regularly & get some experience. For opening batsmen, it will be good to have Uttappa, Mukund, Dhawan. If India wishes to try out the forgotten older guys, Sehwag should get a stint. From the rest, the middle order batsmen like Pujara, Tiwary, Rahane & Raina should be included to gain experience of the pitches. It will also be good to see how spinners like Rasool, Nadeem, Rahul Sharma or Chawla fare. Younger players like Samson, Rahul, Bawne & Vijay Zol also need a shot. It will not be easy to have a proper mix because some deserving players will be left out. The important thing is to give deserving players a chance to show case their talent = get some experience..

anyhow i have a strong feeling that pitches provided for these matches do not replicate the conditions where Indian team is going to play their matches.prime example is last tour of south Africa.

POSTED BY
naren1983
on | April 12, 2014, 8:40 GMT

This is good initiative by BCCI by sending A team to Australia, we saw similar last year in SA, Indians showed better performances in Test Matches in SA last year. Its july, all our regular players will be in England tour, so its pure other 15 players including out of form players, upcoming talents, injury come back players. Believe Yuvaraj, Juneja, KL Rahul, Zol, Kedhar Jadhav, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Uthappa, Rishi Dhawan, Saha, Umesh Yadav, Sandeep Sharma, etc...

I don't think the Indians understand what an A team is, they pretty much use their first XI players.

POSTED BY
Johnny_129
on | April 12, 2014, 3:49 GMT

@ Albert_cambell on (April 11, 2014, 18:09 GMT) - My friend, all teams have their weaknesses - More so, currently. India came within a whisker of holding ALL trophies in limited over formats simultaneously - An unprecedented feat! India, like most of the other teams, has gone through a transition and that is still not complete. However, India, I believe, is ahead of the rest (NZ being exception) in finding a settled team for 2015 WC. You are right though that neither Yuvraj nor Raina is a No.4 batsman. I don't really want to see Rehane or Pujara in the limited over format because I think they are pure batsman who should be saved for Test matches. Rayudu is a good option because he plays the short ball very well - Pulls and cuts well and he can play the long innings. India need to give Rayudu more exposure at No.4 quickly.

POSTED BY
ultimatewarrior
on | April 12, 2014, 3:45 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster: We all Indian fans wishes the same i.e. to win the 2015 World Cup and show this world we r not flat track bullies (indeed we r not) by exhibiting more dedication & planning than usual...As before last tour to S Africa, BCCI had arranged 2-3 tours to SaF and in one of those List A matches Shikhar Dhawan even had scored 248 in SaF but as we all know what happened when we played to Steyn & Co and later Southee & Co in actual matches...So hopes a better show Now...As well as I expect India(Read Dhoni) should reconsider its very amazing policy to sustain player flopping badly in match 1/2 till end of tour in order to give him confidence(?)

POSTED BY
ThePacifist10
on | April 12, 2014, 3:24 GMT

@Albert_cambell

Yeah well India made it to the finals of the World T20 and Aus didn't. India won the Champions Trophy in England and Aus didn't. India have been steamrolling Aus over the past year and we are from a bleak future. Our batting looks good with guys like Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli, Pujara and Rahane. We have found some good bowlers in Shami and Bhuvneshwar. Varun Aaron is back. Plus we have Pandey on the sidelines. Ashwin has regained his form and is bowling with a different mindset. Mishra has just come into the limelight. His legspin will be useful in next year's World Cup. This brand new team has delivered some great performances over the past year in SA and NZ. They have shown that they can fight. But they need time and experience. The upcoming tours will provide that, making them a force to be reckoned with next year. After that, the overseas victories will be within our grasp.

Oh and "All they need to do is to get Kohli out earlier"? You make it sound easy. It isn't.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | April 12, 2014, 0:28 GMT

@Albert_cambell: India's future looks a lot brighter than what you think. In fact, India has a better chance in World Cup 2015 than any other Asian team. Pakistan have ZERO batting and can expect all their bowlers to do the bulk of scoring for them. SL depend too much on Sanga, Mahela and Dilshan. The rest of their players are average. Bangladesh don't even have a hope. I expect SL, PAK and BD to go home early instead of India who have shown that they are a highly competitive team when the situation demands. MS Dhoni and co. I am sure have some very strategic plans in place to defend their title. This is my prediction.

POSTED BY
visu625
on | April 11, 2014, 19:36 GMT

Included the player like c pujara,j bumrah,a dinda,a nehra,yuvraj,praveen kumar,rishi dhawan this are the player may fill the 2015wcup squard.chech this player ability in those condition.

POSTED BY
Venkat_Gowrishankar
on | April 11, 2014, 19:06 GMT

@Albert_cambell: yes and just imagine Pakistan , number 1 to 5 slots are permanently open and that too with Misbah close to retirement!. A true " Saffa" would never discucss about India's Middle order . catch the drift?

POSTED BY
Albert_cambell
on | April 11, 2014, 18:09 GMT

Indias future looks bleak at the moment. Lets be realistic on Indias chances in next years world cup. NO.4 and No.5 spot still looks vacant. Raina was tried at no.4 and failed at that position. Every opponent would love to have a player like Raina batting at no.4 in bouncy wickets. Regarding Yuvi, even Indian fans want to see him in the team right now. In the future, India will have to fill l up the No.4 and No.5 spot guys like Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel. Jadeje is a hit or miss type of Player. MSD never won a match in Overseas wickets. Both Dhawan and Rohit failed miserably in NZ and SA. Only Kohli is looking good. I think Teams like Ireland and Zimbabwe will have a good chance to qualify to the Quater finals, since they have a weak team like India in their group. All they need to do is to get Kohli out earlier, then the game is easily sealed for them.

POSTED BY
electric_loco_WAP4
on | April 11, 2014, 17:12 GMT

Expect Aus A to walk all over Ind in both A 'tests'.Also will be an opp. for young Aussie batting hopefuls to score ton ful of runs vs friendly Ind attack.Few will eye couple of spots in Aussie test squad for UAE tour.Be Aus v SA/Aus C'mans F in 1 day T.

POSTED BY
on | April 11, 2014, 16:10 GMT

this is the best series to test the reserves before the worl dcup..... an excellent descion by BCCI...

POSTED BY
on | April 11, 2014, 16:04 GMT

India will be playing in England at the same time so this tour will not have any of test players. So, should be a good test for players like Tiwary, Rayadu, Jadhav, Zol etc.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | April 11, 2014, 15:52 GMT

This is a good move. It's time we get serious about our performances overseas. Not that we were not serious before or anything, but we simply never prepared well for them. Sending our 'A' squad will prepare our fringe players to conditions that they could most likely face when playing for the senior team. We did that before the SA tour and we did very well in spite of losing 1-0. So it's a good thinking by the BCCI. Time to put those tax payer rupees at work by ensuring we have a strong Indian team at home and away.

No featured comments at the moment.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | April 11, 2014, 15:52 GMT

This is a good move. It's time we get serious about our performances overseas. Not that we were not serious before or anything, but we simply never prepared well for them. Sending our 'A' squad will prepare our fringe players to conditions that they could most likely face when playing for the senior team. We did that before the SA tour and we did very well in spite of losing 1-0. So it's a good thinking by the BCCI. Time to put those tax payer rupees at work by ensuring we have a strong Indian team at home and away.

POSTED BY
on | April 11, 2014, 16:04 GMT

India will be playing in England at the same time so this tour will not have any of test players. So, should be a good test for players like Tiwary, Rayadu, Jadhav, Zol etc.

POSTED BY
on | April 11, 2014, 16:10 GMT

this is the best series to test the reserves before the worl dcup..... an excellent descion by BCCI...

POSTED BY
electric_loco_WAP4
on | April 11, 2014, 17:12 GMT

Expect Aus A to walk all over Ind in both A 'tests'.Also will be an opp. for young Aussie batting hopefuls to score ton ful of runs vs friendly Ind attack.Few will eye couple of spots in Aussie test squad for UAE tour.Be Aus v SA/Aus C'mans F in 1 day T.

POSTED BY
Albert_cambell
on | April 11, 2014, 18:09 GMT

Indias future looks bleak at the moment. Lets be realistic on Indias chances in next years world cup. NO.4 and No.5 spot still looks vacant. Raina was tried at no.4 and failed at that position. Every opponent would love to have a player like Raina batting at no.4 in bouncy wickets. Regarding Yuvi, even Indian fans want to see him in the team right now. In the future, India will have to fill l up the No.4 and No.5 spot guys like Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel. Jadeje is a hit or miss type of Player. MSD never won a match in Overseas wickets. Both Dhawan and Rohit failed miserably in NZ and SA. Only Kohli is looking good. I think Teams like Ireland and Zimbabwe will have a good chance to qualify to the Quater finals, since they have a weak team like India in their group. All they need to do is to get Kohli out earlier, then the game is easily sealed for them.

POSTED BY
Venkat_Gowrishankar
on | April 11, 2014, 19:06 GMT

@Albert_cambell: yes and just imagine Pakistan , number 1 to 5 slots are permanently open and that too with Misbah close to retirement!. A true " Saffa" would never discucss about India's Middle order . catch the drift?

POSTED BY
visu625
on | April 11, 2014, 19:36 GMT

Included the player like c pujara,j bumrah,a dinda,a nehra,yuvraj,praveen kumar,rishi dhawan this are the player may fill the 2015wcup squard.chech this player ability in those condition.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | April 12, 2014, 0:28 GMT

@Albert_cambell: India's future looks a lot brighter than what you think. In fact, India has a better chance in World Cup 2015 than any other Asian team. Pakistan have ZERO batting and can expect all their bowlers to do the bulk of scoring for them. SL depend too much on Sanga, Mahela and Dilshan. The rest of their players are average. Bangladesh don't even have a hope. I expect SL, PAK and BD to go home early instead of India who have shown that they are a highly competitive team when the situation demands. MS Dhoni and co. I am sure have some very strategic plans in place to defend their title. This is my prediction.

POSTED BY
ThePacifist10
on | April 12, 2014, 3:24 GMT

@Albert_cambell

Yeah well India made it to the finals of the World T20 and Aus didn't. India won the Champions Trophy in England and Aus didn't. India have been steamrolling Aus over the past year and we are from a bleak future. Our batting looks good with guys like Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli, Pujara and Rahane. We have found some good bowlers in Shami and Bhuvneshwar. Varun Aaron is back. Plus we have Pandey on the sidelines. Ashwin has regained his form and is bowling with a different mindset. Mishra has just come into the limelight. His legspin will be useful in next year's World Cup. This brand new team has delivered some great performances over the past year in SA and NZ. They have shown that they can fight. But they need time and experience. The upcoming tours will provide that, making them a force to be reckoned with next year. After that, the overseas victories will be within our grasp.

Oh and "All they need to do is to get Kohli out earlier"? You make it sound easy. It isn't.

POSTED BY
ultimatewarrior
on | April 12, 2014, 3:45 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster: We all Indian fans wishes the same i.e. to win the 2015 World Cup and show this world we r not flat track bullies (indeed we r not) by exhibiting more dedication & planning than usual...As before last tour to S Africa, BCCI had arranged 2-3 tours to SaF and in one of those List A matches Shikhar Dhawan even had scored 248 in SaF but as we all know what happened when we played to Steyn & Co and later Southee & Co in actual matches...So hopes a better show Now...As well as I expect India(Read Dhoni) should reconsider its very amazing policy to sustain player flopping badly in match 1/2 till end of tour in order to give him confidence(?)